The Scarlet Letter

Nathaniel Hawthorne

Jun 2018 · Oregan Publishing · Narrated by Erica Collins

About this audiobook

The Scarlet Letter, published in 1850, is an American novel written by Nathaniel Hawthorne and is generally considered to be his magnum opus. Set in 17th-century Puritan Boston, it tells the story of Hester Prynne, who gives birth after committing adultery, refuses to name the father, and struggles to create a new life of repentance and dignity. Throughout the novel, Hawthorne explores questions of grace, legalism, sin and guilt.

Ratings and reviews

The actual story is really good though sobering - an essential read for Christians because learning about our past failings is v important. However the first two hours were a sort of introduction which was not very interesting and held seemingly little relevance: if I reread this, I would skip that section entirely.

The voice actress is talented and the recording is good quality. The story is worth reading for its literary and historical importance, but is not especially fun to read. It does get much more interesting in the 2nd half, but you have to make it through the first half to get there.

For an older book this is a good story. The narrator is very good as well.